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Making the most of the time we have before they grow up.

The HISD Board of Trustees voted to remove language from the district’s policy proposal that would have ended suspensions and expulsions in pre-k through second grade.

Imagine a school suspending a four-year-old because the child couldn’t tie their shoes. The idea of suspending a student for failure to master a skill seems ridiculous. Although students aren’t being expelled because they can’t tie their shoes, more than 38,000 pre-k through second grade students in Texas are suspended for behavior caused by failure to master social and emotional skills such as self-control, according to Texas Appleseed in their recent study on the school to prison pipeline.

Even more troubling is the data showing that the majority of these young suspended students are disproportionately boys of color, low-income, and/or students who are already behind academically and are only set back further by suspensions for their behavioral difficulties. “Young students who are expelled or suspended are as much as 10 times more likely to drop out of high school, experience academic failure and grade retention, hold negative school attitudes, and face incarceration than those who are not,” according to a 2014 Departments of Education & Health and Human Services Policy Statement on Expulsion and Suspension Policies in Early Childhood Settings.

As a teacher and mother of two small children, I know the momentary feeling of relief when a difficult child leaves my room and becomes “someone else’s problem,” but I also know the profound feeling of power and possibility when a new teaching strategy – like Positive Behavior Intervention or other Restorative Justice practices- is used to effectively reach the most challenging child in my classroom. Even more empowering is knowing that district at large and school administrators have the will and the resources to support teachers, and the capacity to help de-escalate any potentially unsafe situations, instead of simply casting out young students with the greatest need for emotional and academic support.

The HISD Board of Trustees had the opportunity to provide the additional support administrators, teachers and students need when they voted during a second reading of the proposed student discipline policy on Thursday December 10th. By eleminating suspensions and expulsions in pre-k through second grade, the Board could have sent a clear message that they continue to put students first by committing to increase training for teachers and support for an alternative to exclusionary discipline.

These young suspended children are not “someone else’s problem”. They are our city’s potential for a future with less violence, fewer young men in prison instead of college and more compassion for those among us with the greatest need.

After days of trolling Pintrest for Advent Calendar ideas, followed by more days of collecting materials and a very late night setting up, our first family advent calendar is up and creating christmas magic.

Instead of 24 Days of candy (and candy crazed kids) I opted for 24 of activities (with some candy here and there).

The whole kit and caboodle cost $100 including all materials, gifts, and activities (could be cheaper if you already have supplies).Materials:
Gift bags
String
Command Strip Hooks
Clothespins
Tags numbered 1-25 (25 if you want to include your xmas tree for the big day)
24 cheap craft items, books, gifts, and treats

The turkey has been transformed into tetrazzini and the black Friday deals are in the bag. The kids are thoroughly strung out on pie and their eggnog addiction is in full swing. So, in an attempt to push the proverbial reset button on the family today we did nothing but homeschool in the morning and playing in the backyard followed by crafts. Nothing crazy, nothing new, we just got back to normal after after family fun and altered schedules.

The boys were still a bit crazy-to the order of about a dozen xmas ornaments ripped off the tree, but they did help put them back. So, that’s something. We said goodbye to November and tomorrow we begin our 25 days of fun and activities advent calendar! I’m going to be busy setting it up tonight. Pictures to come- of course!

We’ve had family in town for the past week and as a consequence homeschool has taken a back seat. I love playing hostess, but have little time to execute lessons and calm the boys down into their routine while Daddy is off work and their grandparents are “sleeping over”. Nevertheless, when I was away on errands my husband and my parents both held homeschool without me. Maxwell enjoyed “teaching” them his routine and of course, they loved it too. Was it a structured lesson? No. Did the routine Maxwell led my family look exactly like what I do? No. Did the boys have fun sharing their love of learning with family? Yes.

We may not have made a great deal of academic headway in the last couple of weeks, but it’s obvious the boys have been growing through the love of their family.

Painting is an all senses on deck experience for my youngest son and lately he’s been asking to do it more and more often. Sometimes I’m up for the hose ’em down when they’re done style of backyard body painting, but other (most) times I’d rather not. Research suggests that the sensory simulation of finger painting is very beneficial for the brain development of little ones. So, finding time for that kind of immersive creation is important. There’s also strong empirical evidence that my kids have no business finger painting while I’m trying to make breakfast at 8am. There’s a time for everything.

Clean “Painting”:
Paper towel or paper
Brush
Small amount of water in a cup (to minimize spillage)This “painting” in quotes because…well there’s no paint. I was actually shocked at how content he was with this super clean painting substitute. Thinking about adding a paint brush to my arsenal of purse items as another tool for keeping the kids occupied at restaurants. “Why yes, I would like water and a paper towel.”

Messy Painting:Non-toxic Paint
Brushes
Rolls of paper
Something on which to put mass quantities of paint. We used a baking pan.This is Painting with a capital P because it is an all in experience. There’s no painting smock in the world that can handle the mess that ensues when I get my two boys outside for mural finger/face/body painting. After they’ve had a good time smearing with their hands I take the paper off of the wall and put it on the ground so their feet can have a turn. Then I get out the hose and towels.

For those of you already daydreaming about all of the gastronomic joy that is going to take place during Thanksgiving dinner this year, consider adding thanksgiving breakfast to the turkey day festivities. You have to get up early to watch the a Thanksgiving Day parade anyway; so, why not make these easy, tasty, and adorable little Turkey Buns with your kids? We made these last year and they were a huge hit. They’re seriously delicious, in the same perfectly salty sweet way of chicken and waffles. You can make the bacon and rolls in advance (or morning of) and then just have the little ones put everything together by adding the sugar googly eyes, candy corn nose, and sticking in the bacon feathers.Ingredients:Your Favorite Cinnamon Rolls–homemade, store bough, or pilsbury.Bacon–we used uncured-nitrate-free bacon, but you could use turkey, veggie, or whatever kind of bacon floats your boatSugar Googly Eyes–you can find these in most baking aislesCandy Corn–left over from halloween and usually on clearance at the supermarket
Some kind of frosting to glue the eyes and nose in

The boys will take this morning’s homeschool lesson with them all day-on their hands. Simply writing or drawing on your kiddo can be a handy way to help them remember a new concept. Plus, it’s super versatile!

After discussing Maxwell’s sight word of the day “and” I wrote it on his hand and told him every time he found and showed me the word I’d give him a high five on his and hand.

For little brother, he got his shape of the day-triangle.

Other ideas for “hands on” learning:
1. Left vs right
2. Letter of the day
3. Number of the day
4. Color
5. Shape
6. Sight word
7. Vocabulary